COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

1) William D. Hartung, Senior Research Fellow, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft -- and author, with Ben Freeman of "The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America Into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us At Home," discusses his recent Nation magazine article, "The Pentagon Is Going “AI First,” and issues related to growing concern about the unregulated military applications of AI.

2) Jennifer Loewenstein, former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, assesses the announcement that the US and Iran reached an initial agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and further extend a shaky ceasefire in the Iran war, how Israel's ongoing attacks and invasion of Lebanon could derail this peace deal, and the lasting impact of Donald Trump's war will impact America's standing in the world.

3) David Schultz, Distinguished University Professor, Winston Folkers Endowed Distinguished Faculty Chair at Hamline University, talks about his recent commentary, "What is Wrong With the American Left: the Abandonment of Class," issues related to extending democracy into the economy and how this debate should relate to U.S. electoral politics.

4) Yanira Arias, Advocacy and Leadership Organizer at Alianza Americas, discusses her group's opposition to the recent congressional authorization of $70 billion for the Dept. of Homeland Security to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, without any reforms or restrictions. She'll focus on Alianza America's call on "elected officials to reject the expansion of a system that spreads fear, destabilizes families, and undermines trust in public institutions," and what can be done now to mitigate the harm ICE agents will inflict across the U.S. with their new funding.

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint